In late July of 2012, our friend Steve received a phone call from a man identifying himself as a FBI agent. He was told that a subpoena had been issued for him to appear before a federal Grand Jury investigating the vandalism of the Kenzo Nakamura Court of Appeals*. This phone call happened in conjunction with three other people being served subpoenas in Olympia and Portland, as well as house raids in Portland. Although Steve is a known anarchist in the Northwest, who has been subjected to state harassment before, up until this moment he has not been served or indicated as a suspect of the ongoing Grand Jury investigation targeting anarchists.

His life has been severely impacted by the course of events. He has made the choice to leave his former life behind in order to resist the Grand Jury on his own terms. This means that Steve has gone without face-to-face contact with his family, friends, and loved ones for many months.

The investigation and subsequent repression is still very much alive even though former prisoners, Maddy, Matt and Kteeo are now out of prison. The potential for criminal indictments remains a real possibility. Also, the effects of imprisonment and future threats of going back to prison, which could happen if any of the three are charged with criminal contempt, are not something that ends once one has left the prison walls behind.

While Steve has been doing his best to adjust to life in a new place, it has not been an easy transition. He is in a really rough spot right now, being thousands of miles away from his home and not knowing when he will be able to return. He has already been physically and verbally harassed by the state forces in his new location, and is having a hard time finding employment due to not having status and language barriers. At the same time, he has been doing his best to keep his spirits high and is grateful for all the support and solidarity he has received so far, and for the new friends he has made. The fact remains that life inside capitalist society is expensive, and at this point he has no income whatsoever. Please consider donating to Steve so he can take care of his rent, bills, transportation costs, and everything else this life forces us to pay for. As little or much as you can, anything helps.

*It is important to note that Steve stands in solidarity and complicity with all those accused of damaging the Kenzo Nakamura Court House.

Note from WOS: Ourtranslation of this piece is dedicated to all the rebels flying high or laying low, and especially to Kerry and Steve.

Note from Refractario: This text came to us from prison and we published it in Refractario #5 (here in Spanish). In light of Hans’ arrest we decided to publish it again for its diffusion to encourage all those who assume and assumed the difficult path of clandestinity. To the compañeros who are currently imprisoned after being arrested following their unknown steps, or who can happily be with their loved ones after long periods of escape, but also to those who still travel the anonymous paths imposed by the still-pending order for their capture.

* * *

When qualifying terms are disqualified, a proper name ceases to be so…

We fly for freedom…

He went underground like someone going into a cascade of water.

One fine day he had woken up with a name and a story–an identity, they call it. The problem was the future.

Prison would be his next dwelling. By the end of that same day, none of those things were his.

He had pulled together a bag and a piece of information he carried outside the borders of his skin, it came with him like a shadow. A deep rift had formed between him and his anticipated future.

The first days went quickly. The adrenaline allowed no entry to boredom or nostalgia. Again and again he went over the already-worn little piece of paper that had the basic facts of his new I. There were easy things: the names and the profession were things he knew, closely related to his own life, to the immediacy of reality. But some were more difficult–numbers had always eluded him. He reminded himself of the correctness of his decision: the human thing to do was to run. His RUT* had a million numbers, in an impossible order!

It was going to be long. He expected the rift would separate him from his sunless future, from the prison and its dampness, its perennial cold, its deadened sounds. They would remain far on the other side of the abyss into which he would try to hurl his deepest fears. In this way he could defeat defeat.

These thoughts made him laugh nervously, the half-moon of a smile appearing his mouth, letting his white little teeth be seen. He would have to contain it; he was not going to reveal his freedom to the City’s dismal beings.

Some days passed, and the time was not time. Now laughter was not so easy, it had less joy and more reasoning to it. The shadow of his identity followed, stuck to his feet. He thought about the children in Peter Pan who looked for his shadow. What if he lost it? The idea upset him. Even the dark future the shadow brought with it seemed to be part of himself.

But hey, brush off your coat and let go of your nostalgia. The children are going to grow up fine. Your partner is strong and caring. She had given him a strong and sensitive never-ending kiss filled with emotion; he returned endlessly to these images. They comforted him, and they also caused him to feel his loneliness great and raw.

Better to return to the feeling of victory–the defeat of defeat… it is nourishment. Fill the lungs. He was a happy man, nobody could argue with him. Life, alive, appeared on the horizon. Were there time, he would have left every decision of power over his body right on the ground.

The laughter would return, and he wasn’t alone–he knew of the laughs of those close to him, of his companions and of the others, knew that he walked hand-in-hand with the worst intentioned, and with the most creative tumults of people living and dead.

Observing himself, traveling, flowing, changing, developing these other abilities, knowing himself a little more. Loving himself greatly, and a little more still. The shield of fear, the idea in the palm of his hands, fly and fly for freedom…

Warm, close greetings to the women and men composed of love who take off on their own wings.

In the spirit of May Day 2012 in Seattle, a Nike store alongside a major street in Portland had about half of its front windows smashed out with a baseball bat.

One of the large panes had text that spoke of community building. As the Portland ‘LGBTQ’ Pride NW festival and parade approaches, we queers cringe in disgust while corporate branding dominates the whole of the festivities.

Nike increasingly invests in their so-called community (i.e. people who will buy their products) through events such as Pride, yet if Nike were involved in such a thing as a community they wouldn’t ignore key members such as the modern slaves working in their sweatshops.

This action taken in memory of three trans women of color who were murdered last month, Kelly Young, Ashley Sinclair, and Cemia “Ce Ce” Dove. Your beauty lives on through our rage!

Also taken in solidarity with those resisting the PNW grand jury, especially those who have been displaced by the state, and to show that action is still possible under the watchful eye of the FBI.

Late at night on May Day we sabotaged a rail line in Central Oregon to interrupt the flow of commodities. Capital depends more than ever on the metropolis, the constant flow of commodities, services, capital, information, and any interruption of that flow is a small victory. We took this action in solidarity with all those facing investigation, imprisonment, and repression in the Northwest. As we become more dangerous, the danger to us grows as well, but we will not cower in the face of the face of those who would control us. We took this action knowing full well the extent of political repression in the Pacific Northwest in the present. Not because we want to show our defiance or rage to the state; to them we have nothing to say. We acted because our love for our comrades far outweighs our fear of repression, and because love is an action, not a feeling.

This action was quick and easy. Using copper wire with the ends stripped, we wrapped both ends of wire around the rail and buried the middle section. This sends a false signal that there is a train on the tracks, delaying any other movement until the blockage is cleared.

In solidarity with those resisting the grand jury, those facing investigation, and those who, in the face of the media and massive police preparations, still managed to bring some destruction to the streets of Seattle.

This site has dedicated itself to spreading a non-cooperative attitude and practice towards the federal grand jury which currently investigates anarchists in the Pacific Northwest. This remains true, but the scope of what we are dealing with here has grown. Non-cooperation must extend beyond the grand jury room to every place the cops show up.

By subpoenaing individuals to the grand jury, the feds were specifically targeting people they believed (wrongly or not) knew about the individuals who allegedly traveled to Seattle from Portland, allegedly via Olympia, allegedly to attack the federal courthouse. They intended two things: to get information regarding those people, and to create snitches.

Their new strategy still embraces those goals, but also broadens their intimidation to include those whose associations are third or fourth-degree from possible rioters. They want to wedge apart anarchists and those who are sympathetic to their aims.

Some facts about the recent feds’ visits:

They flashed a lot of resources. The feds appeared simultaneously in 3 or 4 cities (Portland, Olympia and Seattle, and probably Vancouver) as well as some rural places around the region. They appeared in groups as large as 6-8.

They visited around 10 houses in Olympia, and several other locations for a total of perhaps 20 contacts in Olympia. They visited at least one but reportedly as many as 3 different homeless youth service organizations in Seattle, in addition to an anarchist bookstore. They harassed a handful of people in Seattle quite intensely. Several people in Portland were visited, and reports suggest some people in Vancouver, BC were visited.

At one house, the feds knocked and someone answered the door. Once the door was open, the feds muscled their way into the house, intimidating residents and asking questions.

The US Marshals are involved. Marshals track, arrest, and transport people. They also serve subpoenas, and had served at least one subpoena last year related to May Day 2012.

The scope of their contacts has greatly increased. They are not focused on anarchists and activists: now they target artists, hipsters, and show spaces.

They showed lists of names and series of photos. They said things along the lines of, “Here is a photo of someone unmasked. Here is a photo of someone masked up. Is it the same person? What is their name?”

Their goal was to prevent May Day 2013 from being a riotous affair. We have seen that, in spite of their attempts, rage spilled over in Seattle yesterday and numerous windows were broken and police were injured. #fbifail

Beyond May Day 2013, they were trying to continue their investigation into May Day 2012. By fishing broadly through subcultural milieus, they hoped to get pieces of information that would lead them to others who would give them more information which they could leverage against yet other people, eventually working their way back in to prosecute those they believe smashed their stupid little courthouse, prosecuting any other crimes they uncover in their process.

Broadly, it seems that people refused to cooperate. Some people talked with the feds. It is worth reiterating again: answer absolutely no questions that the feds ask you. You do not have to acknowledge knowing anyone. You do not have to name people in photographs. You do not have to compare photographs. You do not have to wipe their asses. You do not even have to provide them toilet paper. All you have to do is tell them that you won’t speak to them, and close the door or walk away.

During the last week, several of us decided to self-organize and pass to the attack.

Because capitalism is totalitarian.

Because financial institutions, Desjardins banks included, are agents of this domination. Because they are responsible for the financial crisis, yet always come out on top. Because the condition of their existence is the negation of ours.

Because the politicians, no matter the party, are also agents of this system. Because they accept the rules of a game in which we are first to lose. Because they blindly embrace the hegemonic ideology of zero deficit, of State austerity measures, of growth and profit at any price.

Because the banks are the pillars of this structure which objectifies us, trades us, commodifies us.

We attacked and smashed four banks with rocks, hammers, and paint in the neighborhoods of Hochelaga and Plateau-Mt-Royal. We also vandalized the ATMs.

We know that we only struck the symbols of this domination. But the conflict takes place everyday; when you have to pay to eat, pay to go to school (which is itself subsumed to the reproduction of Capital), when the landlord comes for the rent, when the repossession agency knocks at the door.

Solidarity with the Pacific Northwest Grand Jury resistors who, despite the risk of imprisonment, refuse to bow down to the demands of the State and Capital.

They’ve visited a number of houses and The Evergreen State College looking for various people. Sometimes they’ve named names; other times they’ve just made their presence known and gone away. We have no firm indication that they are attempting to serve subpoenas.

What should we do on a day like today?

Foremost, do not panic. Take deep breaths, go for a walk (it is a beautiful sunny day in Washington), do whatever you need to do to stay focused and calm.

If your house is visited, do not open the door. Ask the feds who they are looking for, and tell them that you have nothing to say to them. Let people know that you have been visited. If they say someone’s name, make sure you notify that person.

Make a plan. What would you do if you were subpoenaed? Would you resist by appearing and refusing to testify? Are you prepared to go to prison?

If you are not prepared to go to prison, BE HONEST ABOUT IT.

A lesson to be learned from a prior debacle is this: those who feel unable to endure a possibly lengthy stay in prison, including segregation or solitary confinement, should find other options.

If you feel weak, then do what you must to feel strong. Forget any pressure to appear in any venue: you owe nothing to the media, you owe nothing to “the cause.” What you do, you should do for yourself and those you love. Reach into yourself, find a rock on which you can plant yourself. Get help from those close to you. Find your strength. As important as strength, is flexibility. Find that, as well. Bend when you need to, so that you do not break.

If prison is anathema to you, then avoid it. Flight is not easy, but it should be considered. There are numerous people on the run: Kerry and S. have publicly announced their noncooperation through flight, and others have left quietly. Talk with your closest friends about how you would handle that situation. Prepare a plan. Have cash on hand.

Stay safe. Stay loyal to each other. Remain, as always, in conflict.
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